Gawler Wheelers Ride Report 18th May 2019

For today’s ride, it was about choosing the distance that best suited you on the day. The rides started from Lyndoch, so there was the opportunity to ride out from Gawler first to add in an extra 25 km in total.

The long ride took in Williamstown, Springton, the seven steps and Angaston for a 81k ride and 948m of climbing. The other ride gave two options. It included a loop through Altona, up to Tanunda, then through the vines to Angaston. From there you could choose to return back to Lyndoch for a 50K ride and 400m of climbing , or continue out to Keyneton for a 70K ride and 780m of climbing.

Two, Simon and Colin choose to do the big ride, while the other 18 took on the other option.

Here is everyone getting ready for the ride, in particular deciding on how much cold weather gear to wear.

At the safety and ride brief, it is always the time to focus on safety issues plus ensure everyone is au fait with the route. In particular the section up to Angaston takes in a few twists and turns, so it was important to reinforce the key points to look out for.

Simon and Colin took off first heading straight to Williamstown before the steady climb out to Springton for a quick stop.

From there they headed through Eden Valley, before turning left and taking on the big climb of the day, the Seven Steps. From there they came down Flaxman Valley Road and in to Angaston for their last break

From there, they had a quick run back to Lyndoch via Tanunda. They had a trouble-free ride, enjoying the green country side and autumn colours. Well done.

The other ride, after taking off, had to first navigate around the bridge renewal program on the Lyndoch Creek. This was fine as there is a dedicated path for pedestrians and cyclists albeit a bit narrow and soft. Once past that it was on to Altona. The road loops past the conservation park before joining up again with the main road up to Tanunda. To start the loop there is a nice hill to climb, which gets you warmed up, plus there is great scenery. Unfortunately one rider, Ian, had an issue with his chain, and a flat. After the repairs he was able to continue, although it did add to a flat tyre he had already had as he left Gawler, so not a good start to the ride.

The group then made their way to Tanunda. Here is Ian H, Ian M, Peter, Brad and Glen.

Andrea and Paula

Once at Tanunda it was an opportunity to have a break and take on any food etc .

Here is Ian explaining his bike troubles to Andrew and Mike.

It was good to catch up with Craig, who had left after everyone else, but was able to make good enough time to meet up at the regroup, and was only riding out to Tanunda.

Here he is refilling his bottle at the upgraded water fountain, with some focus going on with Ian's bike in the background.

It was also good to catch up with Mic, who had ridden a fair bit over the week, so was happy to just also do the run to Tanunda.

The next section to Angaston was through an area called Vine Vale which takes you right through the vineyards and off the main roads. As there were a number of turns, the whole group rode as one bunch to ensure no one took the wrong turn.

At Angaston it was a good opportunity for Mark to catch up on breakfast and a drink ( pasty and coke!)

And the whole group

This was the turn-around point if people wanted to do a shorter ride. In the end everyone decided to press on out to Keyneton, as it was only an extra 10ks out, and the road more or less undulates. Also it’s beautiful country to ride though with open views and big gums.

Unfortunately Ian had another flat on this section which added up to three flat tyres, which turned the ride into a damp squib. So he call it a day and rang for a pick up. Let’s hope he can sort out the problem.

The rest of the group had a good run out to Keyneton and then a regroup at the local park.

The return trip back to Angaston was a lot of fun, as there is a bit more down than up, so a chance to hoot along. It’s only close to Angaston that there is a bit of a climb, but nothing too severe.

After a short regroup at Angaston, the group headed off, but unfortunately Karen had some trouble with her rear derailleur. Initially it was thought that the chain had slipped off a cog, but it was much more serious. In the end Karen had to ride all the way back to Lyndoch in the one rear cog as the rear derailleur has completely failed . Well done Karen, as it made it much more off an effort to do the final leg of the ride.

Here is Karen at the end of the ride.

A big thanks to Peter for taking on the role of TEC. Given the mechanical problems across the ride he was also assisted by Glen, Brad, Mike and Ian H. Great to see everyone pitching in.

Overall all it was a great day out, the temperature was just right, the predicted rains earlier in the week didn’t eventuate and there was even a bit of a tail wind on the way back. What more could you ask for.

Until next week,

Stay safe

Cheers

Paul K.

Gawler Wheelers: Winners of the Gawler Australia Day Community Group of the Year Award 2013